


The almost weird case

by BasicBritish



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Mystery, is it a crime story, it probably is
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-09 02:32:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8872366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BasicBritish/pseuds/BasicBritish
Summary: New intern has a case for Cecil to be solved, it's ALMOST weird what makes it even weirder in such an extraordinary city as Night Vale





	

“Almost weird”

 

“There's something almost weird, Cecil!”

“Oh, dear listeners, intern Arthur has just appeared in my studio. Shouting. You probably heard him and I think, I have to check this ALMOST weird thing. There are so many weird things, here, in Night Vale, that something ALMOST weird seems to be even weirder than weird things we experience daily. So, dear listeners, I'm going to scope things out and for you now, the weather” he put his headphones off and glanced at the man standing next to the newly opened door. “We've got five minutes.”

“Ok, Cecil, please, listen” intern seemed to be as confused, as kind of excited “I was waiting for my test and suddenly The Man came, switched on the light that no one had ever switched on before and locked himself in the examination room. The speaker hummed once, making everybody slightly uncomfortable. Waiting – what a cruelty. My stomach hurt and it was weird because it wasn’t my usual, governmentally approved, reaction to stress so I thought that maybe it hurt for a different, yet unknown, reason. Nobody likes waiting in such an uncomfortable state so I got out to get some fresh air, you know, one of the basic human instincts. Suddenly my heart started beating faster than appropriate and I saw the Man from the examination room coming out by the window! He looked familiar but I couldn’t remember his face. One thing I knew from that moment was that I wouldn’t take a test that morning.”

The radio host seemed to be at least curious. He hummed and nodded while the story was being told. Just like a speaker in the waiting room. The thought that speaker’s hum was oddly human-like disappeared as soon as it came. The weather stopped playing and there was  
a moment of awkward silence, before Cecil finally spoke.

“Sorry for that lag, dear listeners, but intern Arthur’s story appeared to be more interesting than I thought before. I maintain that I, as a dedicated member of our society, have to investigate that case!”

He described a problem, adding few new facts to make it even weirder… it was, at last, only almost weird before. It took a moment for him to pack all the radio utensils however, they could finally go. Palmer was, of course, narrating all the time (he got ten more minutes of an airtime left). He said few words about newly opened tea house called ‘Teas and more than teas’ when everyone was able to purchase e.g. car tires and pens (of course writing utensils were still banned so only teas, car tires and chairs). First Ever Sheriff’s Secret Polices press conference was mentioned too and, obviously, the hottest news about Night Vale’s favourite scientist Carlos.

Night Vale University was not a building and was placed entirely underground what was making getting out by the window even weirder. The waiting room was dark and empty that time. Nothing strange that examination room was locked for good.

“Do you think we should announce temporary closing of the uni? There is an exam session season coming, Cecil, what do you think? …Cecil?”

There was only silence. Unusual when you’ve got a radio host as an investigation partner. Suddenly the speaker hummed once, provoking the same uncomfortableness in the intern’s stomach as that hum in the morning. Seem of humanity in this sound was also the same. Strange shadow came from under the solid metal door of the examination room.

“Cecil!?” intern Arthur called him with a tone of authentic panic in his voice, “Cecil, where are you?!” 

He stepped back from the shadow and after few seconds, he decided to run for his life. He wanted to investigate that case, instead of being missed like all the interns before him. He found Palmer just by the entrance stairs.

“Cecil, what the heck happened?!” he shouted with a piece of anger “I could have died there!”

“I… I just couldn’t have gone downstairs” the man answered silently, making intern confused.

“But why?” he asked, without any mercy.

“I had a reminiscence of past events” he spoke to the microphone, despite it was long turned off. “Past events I couldn’t have remembered anyhow” he stopped and there was no clue what he was talking about.

“Cecil, please, continue, what did you see?”

“I saw the revolution… but it was different from this portrayed in forbidden history books. There was a fog, strange, dark and thick fog looking more like plasma… it seemed like  
I could cut it with a knife. It wasn’t dangerous, I suppose however, it was really hard to breath when you were surrounded by it. This case is not ALMOST weird, Arthur” he glanced at the intern, slightly frightened. “It is FULLY weird… and probably lethal” he added with a wide, healthy smile.

Fog and revolution made an odd connection but not that anomalous. Really. Could it be peculiar when the Glow Cloud (ALL HAIL) was a headmaster of the local school, seriously. Men went back to the radio station and Cecil returned to his duties, unusually silent. He didn’t mention that situation the day after, and the day after that day… and the entire week after The Thing (how intern Arthur got used to naming it in his mind). The university went back to normal order, he passed his exam, the whole session and everything seemed fine. No revolution, no strange fog, only Palmer mentioning nothing in his radio show was unwonted. However, intern Arthur was the only one who knew and he was really distracted by that fact. Cecil seemed excited at the beginning, why there was no continuation? By the next day of his internship resist and walked to his room angrily. Again.

“Cecil!”

“Intern Arthur!” he budged in a surprise and upped his blushing face from the phone screen.

“Linda told me that you were here”

He gasped in terror and repeated her name, her name that peculiarly was always making everyone afraid. The whole figure of intern Linda seemed to provoke fear in everyone besides Arthur and he had absolutely no idea why.

“So… what’s up, intern Arthur?” 

“There is a news” he lied, obviously, there was no news that Cecil haven’t known about already. “We have to go back to the examination room and figure this fog out, Cecil… before mayor Cardinal gets to know about it and will close out our school again. Please, don’t enforce me to ask Linda to come.”

“But this fog was only a creation of my imagination, Arthur, there is nothing to investigate” he giggled nervously and waved his hand in a sign of carefreeness.

“Cecil, you are nervous as hell, there is something you are not telling me, something you know and something important.”

“It’s nothing” he replied instantly with a tut. “Don’t be suspicious.”

“Okay” Arthur shrugged his shoulders. “I’m going to ask Carlos” he took his phone out of his pocket like a gun threat.

“No!” he refused, almost panicked. Something in the background sounded like an explosion and intern glanced there for instance but Palmer shook his head for ‘don’t care, it’s normal’ and for ‘don’t you dare to ask Carlos’ also probably for ‘oh damn, I’m not going bowling today, what a frustrating man, please someone give him some wheat’. “Okay, Arthur, you’re a hard player, I’m telling you everything. Today at 5PM at the Arby’s but there are two people who have not to be included: Carlos The Scientist and intern Linda, deal?”

“Deal” he smiled widely and shook Palmer’s hand floating in the half of a random gesture. Then he just turned back and left the room.

Arthur wasn’t a suspicious person but that case needed to be solved. He knew Palmer for quite a long time and he had never seen him behaving like that. He was always so cheerful and outspoken, not like… mysterious or silent about things bothering him. Maybe he would confess in Carlos but Arthur doubted it – he promised not to involve him in that matter so Cecil won’t do it either. That was really worrying – hiding anything from Carlos wasn’t in Ceec’s style at all. Arthur came back to his flat to revise flipped history for tomorrow lectures at the university which got opened again for students. Not for teachers, unfortunately, but they learnt how to deal with it and were making video conferences via one’s phone, because the computer was, of course, still imprisoned.


End file.
